'Dirty Dancing' at Hanover captures film's spirit

WORCESTER — The 1987 summer hit movie "Dirty Dancing" has become something that a surprisingly large number of people still hold close to their hearts.

So a stage version seems like a natural off-shoot of that kind of loyalty and following, and "Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage" didn't appear to disappoint a 1,200-person audience as it energetically opened an eight-performance run at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts Tuesday night and got rewarded with a rousing standing ovation at the end.

The touring show came across as a likeable production with earnest acting performances, impressive dancing sequences (as might be expected), a good eight-piece band, and a well-run cohesiveness amid the many scenic changes with a large cast and ensemble. This is a "Dirty Dancing" that knows all the moves it is going to make and follows them cleanly, reflecting that this show has been touring the US for two years, although Worcester is the last dance of its current season.

It was a long time ago now, but "Dirty Dancing" was a surprise movie success in 1987 set even further back in time at a resort in the Catskills during the summer of 1963. Frances "Baby" Houseman, a bright and politically idealistic 17-year-old vacationing with her parents, finds herself drawn to dynamic dancing instructor Johnny Castle. The movie has some images and sayings that have become iconic over time and can draw applause when put up on a stage, as was the case Tuesday night. The line "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!" for example. Or the "lift" out of the water (cleverly imparted by lights and scenery on the stage). Then there's the fact that the story takes on some actual issues, including abortion, class and parent-child relationships. Plus, of course, the movie had a shirtless Patrick Swayze (as Johnny) and a cute Jennifer Grey (Baby) dancing up a storm to "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" in the film's climactic finale.

Eleanor Bergstein wrote the screenplay for the movie, and has also created the stage version, which was developed first in Australia (another surprise is that the show has never run on Broadway). With that background, "Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage" adheres very closely to the movie, adding some musical selections from the 1950s/early '60s that the movie wasn't able to obtain such as The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me."

The stage production was not only efficient Tuesday night, but Bergstein's script is also economical, with the show coming in at about 2 hours, 20 minutes, including a 20 minute intermission. That means, however, that the show has a quite a lot to get in with regard to explication and character development, not to mention its music and and dance set pieces. This was especially true in the first act, and the result was occasionally some flat acting in scenes where, to be fair, the dialogue is rather cursory.

This situation improved after intermission, where there isn't quite so much of a rush and the relationships started to come across as more real.

Christopher Tierney as Johnny has a difficult role in that anyone who saw the movie remembers Patrick Swayze, but Tierney brought an authentic swagger and identity to the character. Rachel Boone as Baby similarly inhabits her role, and when the two dance, you really get to see why they were cast. Jenny Winton as Penny, Johnny's troubled dance partner at the resort, danced superbly and had good presence on the stage. Elsewhere, Mark Elliott Wilson as Baby's father made the most of his key dramatic moments, and Jesse Carrey-Beaver was amusing as the square and awkward grandson of the resort owner.

Musically, the show combines performances by the band (often, in some nice staging, on a higher tier above the actors and dancers below) and singing soloists (notably Alana Randall and John Antony), with soundtrack original recordings. Most of the the main cast members have no solo musical spots, but Alex Scolari, as Baby's spoiled sister Lisa, did have fun with "Lisa's Hula."

Although the show has been touring for two years, there was nothing tired looking about the "Dirty Dancing" that showed up at The Hanover Theatre on Tuesday. Everyone seemed invested and enthusiastic, intent to give a willing audience the time of their lives — live.

Contact Richard Duckett at richard.duckett@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @TGRDuckett